Identity
by daftmunky
Summary: One-shot. Felicity's point of view of the episode 2x02, Identity. Slightly more Olicity than in the episode and additional scene/s.


**Authors Note;** Hey people :) So this is my first Arrow fan fiction. Its Olicity (obviously) and its just my interpretations and additions to the episode 2x02, Identity, from Felicity's point of view. Please review with any feedback, positive or negative, to let me know what you think. Read and enjoy :)

PS Thank you so much quisinart4 for the typo notes! I didn't have the time to give it a thorough read over before publishing, but thank you for bringing them to my attention!

* * *

Her fingers attacked the keys on the tablet case as she continued to fume over the unbelievable arrogance her boss had displayed, but instead of making reservations for 3 at Table Salt she was furiously composing an e-mail to previous supervisor in the IT department, informing him she would come and clear her workspace over her lunch break. She didn't know what pissed her off more, the sheer arrogance Oliver had shown in giving her the '_promotion' _(_Demotion_, she thought venomously continuing her assault on the precious keys in front of her) or the fact that a part of her had to acknowledge that he was right. And Diggle! How could he have not told Oliver already about him and Carley, especially with the way Ollie had been pushing for a get together, "A lot on his plate my ass!" She hissed, shooting a glare at the offending parties through the glass divider as she hit the send button on her e-mail. She didn't make the reservations Oliver had asked for for two reasons. A, because she knew that Carley and Digg were not at the stage in the break up that meant they could sit through a meal together without hurting one another more and B, because it gave her a great sense of rebellious satisfaction deliberately defying the first official request Oliver had given her in her new role of 'Executive Assistant', "I mean, what kind of job title is that?!" She cried to the empty foyer area that her desk sat in, throwing her hands up in the air and pushing away from the desk. She stalked over to the water cooler by the lift and had a drink while she cooled down a bit.

Returning to her desk much calmer she sat down and went about checking the systems upgrades Oliver had tried to bribe her with but Digg leaving the office taking a phone call distracted her momentarily. He gave her a wary smile, obviously unsure as to whether she had calmed down from her outburst and she immediately felt chagrined that she had acted so childishly, especially in front of Digg, someone who she held great respect for and knew he respected her too. Glancing into the office she wasn't prepared for the sight that met her eyes. The man sitting behind the great glass desk was not one she was familiar with, which was really saying something because if anyone was familiar with Oliver's multiple personalities it was her. She had seen his 'billionaire-playboy' side when he had come to her at the beginning with all of his ridiculous stories about lattes and laptops and arrows and scavenger hunts. She had seen his 'new-and-improved-billionaire-playboy-club-owner' when he was working the crowd and carrying out the necessary work for Verdant. And of course she was one of only two people who got to see his vigilante side and know it was Oliver. More recently she'd seen his 'CEO-responsible-businessman' side, too. These weren't his only personalities though. She had seen him broken, both physically and emotionally, and she had seen him homicidally angry and just plain exhausted from having to keep up all these different personas. But the Oliver sitting in that office wasn't any of those sides. This was an Oliver who looked so lost that she couldn't help but let all of her previous anger towards him dissipate. He stopped watching whatever had been on his screen and tapped a few keys on the keyboard before swivelling his chair around and just staring out the wall of windows and over the total destruction that was all that was left of the Glades. Before she could think Felicity stood and walked as quietly as she could in her heels into his office, making sure to close the door behind her. He didn't react, even though she knew he must have heard her approaching, instead just remaining staring out the window.

"Oliver?" She tested, as she stood on the opposite side to his desk, her tone cautious. She heard him sigh slightly and took that as an invitation to continue, "I'm sorry for acting like a brat. I know you're right about the whole secret identity thing, and to be honest it kind of makes it sound cool, but that's not the point. I mean, that is the point really. I need a secret identity. You need accessibility to me- not that you need me! Well you kind of do, just in a professional capacity. Actually its not entirely professional. Wait no- I'm not- I'm not calling you unprofessional I just mean. I'm- I should- I'm going to stop." She had moved around the desk as she spoke and now found herself leaning back against it, just behind the seat that was still directed towards the window. At the end of her ramble Oliver swivelled his chair around to face her and the desk once more, giving her a weak smile.

"What was the point of that ramble?" He asked quietly, returning somewhat to his persona as one of her best friends. It was her turn to sigh but she smiled back at him all the same.

"Sorry, I know the rambling is frustrating. The point is that I wanted to say I'm sorry for acting like a petulant child, but there are some things that you don't- that you missed while you were on that island again." She wasn't looking at him as she spoke, rather fiddling with her idle hands in her lap.

"So basically you're telling me I'm right." Oliver said, quirking an eyebrow and smirking at her. Glad to see his slightly playful side back she couldn't help but smirk back at him, giving him a disgruntled look all the same.

"I wouldn't say you're right," she started holding up a hand to stop him as he began to protest, "The way you went about it was wrong, you should have asked rather than just assume that I would be okay giving up something that I worked really, really hard for-"

"I know. And I'm sorry. I guess that I just got wrapped up in trying to make sure that my secret wasn't going to be discovered."

"No, its okay. That's my point. I get why you did it." They smiled at each other, satisfied for now that things were going to be okay between them. In that moment the air between them changed. It got heavier and she couldn't help the breath that caught in her throat. His heated gaze was focused on her. His usually steel grey-blues were a turbulent ocean blue, making her gasp slightly, but she couldn't identify the emotions swirling in their depths.

"Felicity." He started, and she jumped when she felt his hand come to rest just above her knee. His touch burned and she felt a coil in her twist tighter in her gut. Their gaze was still locked together and she took a shaky breath. Just as he opened his mouth to continue Digg re-entered the office. She stood quickly and instantly missed Oliver's touch. She moved out from behind his desk and smiled at Digg who was looking at her curiously, "Oh, and Felicity?" She turned to face Oliver and was glad to see him looking more like his confident self that he had been when she came into the office.

"Yes Mr Queen?" She smiled teasingly when he glowered at the name. _If I have to be his 'Girl Wednesday' then I'm going to make him pay_, she thought mischievously.

"I would love a cup of coffee, please." It was his turn to tease and she sent him a pointed glare before once more turning on her heel and striding back to her new desk. As she sat she looked back into the office and saw Digg shaking his head as he sat on one of the couches in the visitors area and chanced a glance at Oliver. Her breath caught again in her throat as he caught her eye once more. She could tell still from this distance that his eyes were still the same turbulent blue they had been when she sat at his desk, causing her to gulp and swivel her own desk chair quickly to face away from him.

* * *

When he came macho-limping into the basement after going for the shipment she couldn't help flying out of her seat and rushing to him, taking the bow from his tight grip and tossing it onto the first clear surface she could find. When she tried to assist him he brushed her off angrily, but she ignored him, instead guiding him over to her abandoned computer chair.

"What happened?" He stripped off his leather jacket and bent to start untying his boots before he answered through gritted teeth.

"Law enforcement got in the way."

"Where are you hurt? How are you hurt?" She fussed, grabbing medical supplies and pulling on the blue latex gloves before returning to him. She knelt in front of him and slapped his hands out the way and quickly removed his left boot, throwing it to the side before starting in on his right boot a lot more carefully, aware that this was the leg he had been limping on. As she fully unlaced it and tentatively pulled the worn leather away from his leg he hissed, gripping the arms of her chair tightly, "Sorry." She whispered, glancing up at his pained face, "What happened?" She reiterated.

"Bullet ricochet. Caught my leg." He ground out before pulling her hands away from where she was trying to staunch the bleeding.

"God, I hate you getting shot!" She cried weakly, standing up and going to collect some more dressings.

"Let me get changed and I'll deal with it." He growled, standing and limping barefoot to where he had left his change of clothes. She turned to look for Digg, knowing that he would be able to deal with bullet wounds quickly, and he had a better chance at getting Oliver to a hospital if need be. She knocked on the bathroom door and heard him make a noise of acknowledgement.

"Digg, Oliver's caught a bullet in his leg. You know he won't let me look at it cause my immediate reaction is to send him to the hospital but can you take a look when he's changed?" The door opened and Digg came out in a fresh shirt, his tie loose around his neck.

"Yeah, I'll take a look."

"Thanks." She said, risking that Oliver had managed to get decent and turned back. He was sat back in her computer chair in a clean grey t-shirt and his usual khaki cargo pants his wore for training with the left leg rolled up, revealing the wound for the first time. Thankfully it was just a small wound, much like the one in his shoulder that he had had the first time she had found out about his secret identity. He was already stitching himself up, not waiting for her or Digg, or for the blood to stop apparently. She couldn't keep the grimace off her face and started to nervously chew on the thumbnail on one hand while the other wrapped protectively around her waist. Watching Oliver stitch his own leg up was a bit like watching a horror movie. It was really quite disgusting, but fascinating at the same time. "Does it hurt?" She asked as he finished up and snipped the thread. He grunted as he sat up and leant back in the chair.

"Not as much as some things." She didn't react except to raise a disapproving eyebrow at him.

"I love that we live in a city where the police are more interested in catching _you_ than the drug stealing mobsters. Our tax dollars at work." She said derisively, still trying to fathom how on earth that worked in any rational way.

"The authorities have always gone after the vigilante." Digg spoke up from where he had been reading something on the big screen she had had put in with the upgrade to the lair and she turned to face him.

"This time was different." Oliver replied.

"Why? Because this time its Laurel leading the charge?" Felicity felt the corner of her mouth tick up at Digg's obvious provocation of the growly bear behind her, but she made sure to compose herself before turning to face said animal.

"Because they got in my way," Oliver started, standing from the chair and starting to hobble towards Diggle. She thought he was supposed to look imposing but with the way he was still limping on his injured leg detracting from it. Her hand automatically rose to steady him but by the thunderous expression on his face she stopped herself just short of actually touching him, instead allowing her hand to hover at his elbow as he continued to advance on Digg, "I can't make things better as Oliver Queen and now I can't make things better as the vigilante. So what if Laurel's involved?!" As he moved his voice rose in volume until he ended up shouting at Digg, reigniting the anger she had felt earlier that morning.

"Hey! Go easy on him!" She rounded on him once again, yanking on his arm when he tried to push past her and forcing him to stop. She ignored the sparks that ignited at touching his arm, her anger which was burning on full furnace over taking it. She also ignored the way he pointedly looked down at her arm and continued on was fully prepared to fly off the handle at him before Digg's soft voice spoke from behind her.

"Its alright, Felicity." _Oh he is NOT defending him!_ She growled in her head.

"No, its not!" She snapped at Digg before whirling on Oliver again, "You don't get to jump down his throat just because you happen to be having a bad week. Okay, you're pissed he invoked the almighty Laurel, but you're not the only one whose love life is taking it on the chin."  
"Felicity." Digg interrupted again, this time his soft voice was cautioning too.

"What are you talking about?" Olivers anger was gone, replaced by a genuine confusion which contorted his whole face.  
"I'm talking about you keep bringing up Carley but you're so involved with yourself that you don't even realise the look he gets every time you do!" She explained, trying to restrain herself from physically hurting him.

"What is she talking about?" His question this time was directed at Diggle and she rolled her eyes.

"Me and Carley pulling the pin." Digg said simply. As his words hit Felicity had her full attention on Oliver and couldn't help the twinge of satisfaction when she saw his shoulders drop in defeat upon realising what she had been so angry about. "It happened when you were gone. Truth is its been happening for a while now."

"He meant being the vigilantes wingman was a strain." Felicity bit. _Why is he insisting on softening the news?_ She thought frustrated, turning to face her friend. _Oliver needs to realise he's not the only suffering._ "He needs to hear this." She added, turning away from the two men and fiddling with something on the table behind her while they hashed it out, but not wanting to risk leaving an injured, cornered Oliver with Digg.

"This wasn't just about what we were doing Oliver. This isn't just about you, man. I couldn't separate what was going on with me and Carley and what went on with my brother."  
"Deadshot." Oliver added, and she heard the conviction and resentment in his tone. _Hopefully that means he'll take his head out of his ass_.

"He's still out there. My brothers killer. He's still breathing. And I er… I guess I couldn't hate him and love her at the same time." Needing to see Oliver's expression to see if he finally understood why she had been so pissed she turned back, her own expression on of hurt that he had been so blind to their friends pain, "See, you are not the only one having trouble reconciling two sides of himself." Digg finished, grabbing his jacket and leaving the lair through the side entrance which led straight out to the car park. Oliver sighed beside her and for a moment the mask slipped and she saw the genuine pain, hurt, confusion and sadness hidden beneath, but she was still too angry to deal with him so she turned on her heel and stalked towards the stairs leading to the club above.

"Felicity…" She heard Oliver whisper as she stepped over a stray case. She paused but didn't turn around. He didn't speak again, but she heard him limping and hobbling towards her. A stab of guilt hit her at the thought of him in pain and moving around but she didn't give in to it. The silence strained between them and she nearly jumped when his hand came down tentatively on her shoulder. Still she didn't speak, waiting for him to make the first step towards reconciliation this time, "Felicity I'm sorry." Not able to bite her tongue anymore she turned, reaching her hands out to steady him and grasping the t-shirt at his waist and allowing him to lean on her slightly to relieve the pressure on his injured leg.

"Oliver, you disappeared. For five months. After a disaster." She said desperately, imploring him to take responsibility, "You know things would have changed and things were going down hill fast. It just- it hurts that you didn't ask how either of us were, or what had been happening with us or anything. I just thought- actually, you know what, I don't know what I thought would happen." She finished with a sigh and a shake of her head, letting go of him and trying to move away from him. He wasn't having any of it though.

"Felicity. I'm sorry. You're right. I got so wrapped up in my own grief that I ignored everyone around me. I'm sorry. Please, forgive me." He finished up in a whisper. He still looked so defeated, standing there with his shoulders slumped and his eyes closed, that she once again stopped her attempt to leave. She stared up at his saddened eyes and couldn't stop her hand fro coming up and trailing her fingers down the side of his face. Her cheeks heated as she realised what she had done but just as she was about to pull her hand back he turned his face into her touch and brought his own free hand up to hold hers in place. They stood, frozen, for what felt like years until Oliver opened his eyes and looked into hers. Again, they were that turbulent blue and she felt the tight coil in her stomach. Heat began to pool in her core and she unconsciously licked her lips as her gaze flitted between his eyes and his lips (_Which look very soft and kissable_, she thought before feeling her cheeks heat). His eyes also trailed from her looking intently into her own down to the tight grey dress she was wearing. He raised an eyebrow at her and wet his own lips, "Something's certainly changed." He whispered, his voice gruff but not in his Hood way. Her cheeks flushed once more and she felt her knees go momentarily weak at the desire which she identified in his eyes.

"Ol- Oliver!" She stuttered, disbelievingly.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" He said an easy, unguarded smile slipping onto his face and she knew that they were going to be okay again.

"I should probably- I'm- I'm going to go home." She managed to stutter out before turning slightly unsteadily on her heel and climbing the stairs as quickly as she could in her black stilettos. She could hear his slight chuckle as the electronic locks clicked open and she slipped out into the club.

* * *

When she got to work the next morning and entered the lift she automatically went to press the 6 for the IT department before grumbling and pressing the 24. Because she always got to work early there weren't many people around to see the number she pressed but the few who were there looked at her surprised. She huffed while the lift made its way up to the building stopping every few floors to allow employees out at their departments. By the time she got to Oliver's floor she had been alone for some time. She exited the lift, relishing in the silence and deposited her bag under her desk before hanging her jacket over the back off her chair. Sitting down she switched on the computer and started to run checks and searches for their vigilante activity before going over Oliver's schedule for the day. He had several hours free in the morning and then a quick conference call with all the Queen Consolidated headquarters through Europe and in Australia before lunch. Then meetings with several heads of departments over the course of a few hours and an appointment with 'AB' at 4. Who AB was she didn't know but she shrugged it off anyway. She sipped on her coffee that she had bought on the way to the office as she worked on several projects and organising appointments for the rest of the week. She heard the elevator ding and glanced up to see who it was. Oliver limped out followed by a smug looking Digg. She smiled at the latter and then turned her concerned gaze to Oliver as he came into her ante-office.

"Please tell me you've taken some painkillers so you're not going to be limping in front of everyone today?" She asked standing up to take his briefcase and coat. He smiled at her gratefully as he held open the door to his office for her before he limped to his desk and sat.

"No, I haven't. I don't need to." He said, and his eyes were challenging her to disagree as she hung the coat on the coat rack and propped his briefcase on his desk. She raised an eyebrow at him and rolled her eyes but turned away and headed back out to her own desk, leaving the door open. Digg was already at his usual post on the couch flipping through a magazine and gave her a nod when she sat back down.

"Don't forget your conference call at 11." She called and Oliver's eye roll was the only indication that she heard. The morning went quickly with her slipping between checking vigilante work and QC work. She spent time updating the system on her computer further and the fire wall. Digg skipped out to get them all a cup of coffee, a point which Oliver made to rub in her face by calling loudly through the glass "See! Digg is my chauffeur but he still manages to get me coffee!" She poked her tongue out at him and held up her own coffee smugly. Seeing that Oliver turned a betrayed eye on Digg and she heard him growl. Digg just laughed and sipped his own coffee. When it was time for Oliver's conference call Digg left the office and came and sat in one of the chairs in front of her desk. She ignored him for a while, but felt his gaze on her. Eventually it became too hard to concentrate so she minimised all programmes and searches before turning to glare at Digg.

"Is there a reason you're distracting me from doing my oh so important work as Executive Assistant?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him. He didn't say anything, just kept staring at her, his fingers steepled in front of him, "Okay Digg, give it up. What's going on?"

"Why did you go off at Oliver yesterday?" He asked. _Not what I was expecting_, she thought, but smiled ruefully.

"Which time?" He smiled too, but didn't give up.

"With the Carley thing in the lair."

"Oh. That." She said and she dropped her gaze under the pretence of shuffling papers around on her obsessively clean desk, "Look, I'm sorry. I know you didn't want to tell him but he just made me so angry!" She gave a huff and folded her arms over her chest before glaring through the glass at the subject in question. Oliver was sitting behind his desk with the phone centred in front of him, his elbows propped on the edge and his hands supporting his head. She saw his shoulders heave a sigh and he pushed away from the desk, standing and pacing.

"But why?" Diggs voice interrupted her Oliver watching and she turned back to face him, flushing lightly.

"Why?" She asked, not believing that he had actually asked, "Because he was being selfish! He was arrogant and he totally ignored the fact that you were hurt! Its not right! He claims to be a friend but if he can't even-"

"Felicity."

"Sorry," she heaved a sigh and dropped her eyes, reigning in the anger licking at her before looking up to meet Digg's disapproving eyes, "He just was so wrapped up in himself he didn't see how everything affected anyone else."

"Fair enough."

"What?" She jerked thinking she had heard him wrong. He smiled at her and shrugged his shoulders as he continued.

"Fair enough. Everyone is entitled to their feelings and opinions, Felicity. I just think you spoke yours in your loud voice last night and, I'll admit it, it was a little intimidating." She couldn't help her mouth dropping open and staring at him in surprise which he openly laughed at. Recovering from her shock she snapped her mouth shut.

"You're agreeing with me? I thought you would be angry after I made you tell him about Carley."

"Okay, I'm not thrilled about that aspect, but you are the only person I know that will stand up to him and take him down a peg or two if need be. Including his family." Once more she was shocked into staring at him like a gaping fish.

"But Thea-"

"Thea doesn't mind yelling at him and letting him know when he's being a dick but there is no way she would ever come at him full throttle like you did last night. And he needed it."

"But you were so disapproving."

"That was just because I didn't want to tell him about Carley because it makes it more real." Felicity once more looked chagrined. It wasn't necessarily right of her to force Digg to tell Oliver about Carley, but knowing that Digg still supported her made it easier. He smiled at her to let her know that he wasn't angry and she returned it, letting him know without words that she was sorry. Digg picked up his magazine once more and she turned back to her screens. She worked in relative silence, the only noise being her taping at the keys and Digg turning pages, for another half hour or so before the door opened to Oliver's office. The two employee's turned to look at their boss as he came and slumped in the available chair opposite Felicity's desk, where he groaned and rubbed his temples.

"Why did no one tell me it's so hard to coordinate a conference call with 11 people all wanting to chip in first?" She smiled at him looking so put out but couldn't resist piping up.

"CEO of a multinational conglomerate not as fun as being a nightclub owner?" The glare Oliver shot her was enough to make her bite her tongue against any further remarks. Instead, she picked up the phone and dialled a familiar number.

"_Papa Angelo's. How can I help you?"_

"Hi, can I please reserve a table for three for 15 minutes?" Both men in front of her shot her a confused look.

"_Um, that might be a little tight, Miss…"_

"It's Smoak, but I'm actually booking for Mr Oliver Queen." She said sweetly, ignoring the scowl Oliver threw her at using his name to get them reservations while Digg just shook his head, grinning.

"_Oh, of course Miss Smoak. A table has just come available actually. I shall go and reserve it now. We look forward to your arrival."_

"Fabulous. We shall be there in 15." She said, hanging up and collecting her bag, "Right, up you two. Lunch." The two men grumbled as they stood and they all made their way out to the elevator. As they exited the building and got to the car Digg held the back door open and Oliver stepped aside to allow her to climb in first before getting in himself, much more suavely.

"So where to Miss Smoak?" Digg asked pulling out of the reserved space.

"Papa Angelo's." She said and she saw out the corner of her eye as Oliver smiled before turning to look out the window. The car ride was quiet aside from the radio which Digg kept on (part of Oliver's pop culture education apparently). They arrived at the small restaurant and Digg parked close. Oliver slid out the back, not waiting for Digg to open the door, and held a hand out for her to take as she followed him, "Good to see 5 years on a desert island didn't detract from your social etiquette." She said before slapping a hand to her head. Before she could apologise Oliver smiled at her with a quirked eyebrow, letting her know it was okay. As they moved up the street to the doors she was hyper aware of his hand that had settled at the small of her back. As Digg opened the door for them she threw Oliver a curious look but he just smiled his billionaire-playboy grin at her and winked. He actually had the audacity to wink at her!

"Social etiquette."

The maitrê-de interrupted before she could retort.

"Welcome to Papa Angelo's. Do you have- Oh, Mr Queen." Felicity tried to ignore the way that his eyes slid over her with a very judgmental all-knowing look. She levelled a glare at him and didn't back down when he challenged her look.

"We have a reservation for three." She said, recognising the icy tone in her voice but not caring. Oliver once more lay a hand on the small of her back, this time gently rubbing a small circle with his thumb. Glancing at him she recognised that it was an unconscious move and that Oliver too was glaring at the monstrê-de.

"Of course. Follow me." They walked behind the monstrê-de, her ahead of the boys, Oliver behind her, his hand _still_ at her back, and Digg bringing up the rear. As they reached the table the monstrê-de did not pull her chair out for her as he was supposed to, instead choosing to send another judgemental glare at her. _God, who does he think he is?_ She thought bitterly, pointedly not taking a seat. She allowed Oliver to slip past her and he pulled out a chair, indicating for her to seat. She blushed slightly, ignoring the monstrê-de, and slipped into the seat. Oliver pushed the chair in behind her and took her bag from her shoulder and hanging it on the chair. She smiled up at him and he frigging winked at her. Again! When she caught Diggs eye as he sat opposite her he threw her a partly confused partly exasperated look. As Oliver took the seat to her right he turned to the monster that was still hovering and gave him a pointed look.

"Can we please get a bottle of San Pelligrino to the table." He said shortly and then turned in an obvious gesture of dismissal.

"Of course, sir." The monstrê-de said and she heard him begin to grumble under his breath as he turned and left.

"So is there a reason you wanted to come here? I mean, aside from the obviously excellent service?" Oliver asked sarcastically. She smiled and picked up her menu glancing over it as she answered.

"They have some of the best Italian in the city and I don't usually eat in."

"She's right, as always," Digg chipped in also glancing at his menu, "They do make a mean _fettuccine a modo mio_."

"Before you make your minds up I'm telling you now, if either of you even think about ordering anything with anchovies in it you will be banned from the car and the office." She said, playfully glaring at her two friends. Digg just gave her an amused look but Oliver looked contemplative.

"So no _puttanesca_?"

"No!" She cried, "That's worse! Its got anchovies AND olives AND capers in it!" They all laughed at her outrage but continued to peruse the menus.

"Hi, are you ready to order?" A perky young college student came to the table and waited expectantly. The two men, being the gentlemen they were, both looked at Felicity for her to order first.

"I'll have the _fettuccine alfredo_, thank you." She smiled handing over her menu.

"The _fettuccine a modo mio_ for me, thanks." Digg said, smiling charmingly at the waitress. _No matter how intimidating he looked he always shows that he has a gentle nature,_ she mused.

"Well, seeing as the lady has banned the _puttanesca_," Oliver said, mock glaring at Felicity, to which she just poked her tongue out, "I shall have the _insalata caprese_." He handed over his menu as well.

"Very good." She said and turned to leave.

"Oh, sorry," Oliver reached out and touched the waitress' elbow before she could leave, "Can you please ask the chef to leave the pine nuts out of the salad, thank you."

"Of course." She smiled and made a note, leaving to the kitchen. When Oliver turned back to the table both Digg and Felicity were looking at him curiously.

"You have allergies, don't you?" He said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for him to remember that she has an allergy to nuts and that he should keep that in mind when ordering a meal at a restaurant.

"Yes I do, but how- I mentioned that, like, a year ago. In passing. How did you remember? Why did you remember? Not implying that there would be any reason for you to remember I'm just surprised. Well confused actually. I mean there's no reason for you not to eat nuts if you want to eat nuts. You don't need to remove your nuts just for me." Her eyes widened in horror at the word spilling out of her mouth but she just couldn't stop talking, "Oh God! That's not- I didn't- I didn't mean your nuts nut's. Someone please stop me!" Diggle was beside himself by this point, clutching his midsection as he continued laughing and Oliver just had that slightly exasperated but patient look he got on his face whenever she went off on one of her rants. Finally he took mercy on her and grabbed her hand closest to him which had been flailing helplessly in the air.

"Felicity." She froze and had a deer-in-the-headlights look until he spoke again, "I asked to have the pine nuts taken out of my dish because you have an allergy and I wouldn't want to accidentally set you off. And I remembered you have an allergy to nuts because it is kind of an important bit of information to remember, if I didn't and gave you something with nuts in accidentally, well, it could kill you." He explained as if it was the most rational thing in the world. Of course, she had to spoil it by opening her mouth once again.

"But you wouldn't send me into anaphylaxis unless you kissed me, which wouldn't happen. Not that I would complain, I mean, you're obviously a very attractive guy, not that I-"

"If it helps, I remembered you had an allergy too." It was Digg who rescued her this time. Her face was not just a little flushed, but rather full on burning in humiliation. She managed to worm her hand out of where Oliver was still gripping it and dropped it to her lap, fiddling with the frill on her peplum skirt.

"Thank you." She whispered, directing it to both the men. It had been so long since she had actually been around anyone for long enough to let them know about her allergy that it was rather nice to know that these two men had both remembered that tiny bit of information which she had dropped in the middle of one of her rants. That, and it also meant that they listened to her when she rambled. People usually just tuned out until she got control of herself. This was a double edged sword though because as she had just proved, a number of her rambles were beyond humiliating. But c'est la vie. At that moment the waiter arrived breaking the slight tension that had settled over the trio.

"The _insalata_?" Oliver raised his hand slightly and accepted the dish.

"Without nuts?" He asked, chancing a glance at Felicity.

"Without nuts," the waitress confirmed, smiling at him brightly, "The _a modo mio_?" Digg smiled and rubbed his hands together in anticipation, "And you must be the _alfredo_." Felicity also smiled brightly at the waitress and accepted her meal, "Can I get you anything else?"

"No, that'll be all thanks." Oliver spoke and flashed another of his billionaire-playboy grins. The waitress faltered momentarily but recovered at a speed Felicity was jealous of.

"Well, _buon appetito_." She said and turned on her heel. The three didn't speak as they dug in. Felicity couldn't help but close her eyes and moan in appreciation of the excellent pasta. When she opened her eyes she saw Digg giving her an amused look again but Oliver was frozen, staring at her with slightly widened gaze. He looked like she had blindsided him with something and she once more felt her face heating up. With a slight shake of his head he seemed to recover from whatever trance he had been and she noticed that his eyes had changed to that turbulent blue again.

"Good food?" Digg joked, eating another mouthful of his own.

"The best."

"Mind if I try some?" Oliver asked, and before she could answer he had already stuck his fork into her plate and twisted up a mouthful.

"Hey!" She cried and made to stab his hand with her own utensil, but obviously missed. _Stupid ninja reflexes_, she thought as he just smirked at her and ate the forkful of her pasta.

"You're right. That's good." He said as he finished chewing. She mock glared at him once more and protectively laid an arm down on the table to act as a barrier between him and her food.

"Yeah, well, eat your tomatoes and suffer." She joked before continuing to eat her own meal. He just shrugged and picked up his knife, digging into his lunch. The rest of the meal was uneventful, filled with small talk and jokes. It made a nice change of pace to sit down for a meal and relax with her friends rather than be strategizing and researching while they trained in the foundry, or more recently working on legitimate business on the top floor of Queen Consolidated. They laughed and joked and passed the time. Digg filled them in with stories of shenanigans him and his army buddies had gotten up to in Afghanistan and the occasional tale of childhood mischief with his brother. Oliver chipped in with multiple embarrassing stories of Thea and even managed a few of his and Tommy's escapades pre-island. Felicity listened and laughed and ate but didn't contribute much. Her childhood had been happy, sure, but she was never really a wild child. It wasn't until Digg asked her a direct question that she actively participated.

"You're awfully quiet. There must have been a couple of anecdotes from your childhood or teenage years."

"Not really," she confessed, taking a sip of her water, "I was an only child so no sibling rivalries or anything like that. I wasn't a wild child. I focused on my school work and computers because I knew I would need a scholarship if I wanted to got to MIT. So yeah."

"Well what about college?"

"College was much of the same. I had to keep my grades up to keep the scholarships and I was really driven. Being one of only 15 girls on the course really drives a need to prove yourself."

"Well there has to be a bit of a rebellious streak in you," Oliver said, laying down his cutlery on his empty plate and pushing it away from him slightly, "Your bar proves that." Unconsciously her finger went up to skim the industrial piercing in her right ear.

"Oh, that." she started and smiled at the memory of getting it.

"Yeah, I've wondered about that too." Digg said brushing her hair back to get a look at it, "Seemed a bit out of sorts with your look."

"What look?" She challenged.

"You're quirky professional look." He said, smiling at her to let her know that he wasn't trying to objectify her.

"Nice save." She took another drink before continuing, "That's probably the only mildly rebellious thing I've done. It was freshmen year of MIT. My dorm mate, Rebecca, was the wild child. Despite that we were really quite close friends. She was intelligent, studying engineering, so we could have decent conversations, and she knew what it was like to be a female in a male dominated profession. One night just after mid-semester exams she decided that I had to go out at least once. We went to some frat party she had been invited to. One drink led to 10 and despite my size I am able to handle beer quite well apparently," Digg and Oliver both looked sceptical but she ignored them, "Anyway, we were both pretty tipsy and Bex decided that she wanted to finally get the tattoo she had been talking about. The only reason why I went along with it was because she had told me about it when she was sober, so I knew it was something she wanted, she just was worried about the pain. Figuring it would hurt less when she was drunk we got a cab into the city and found the tattoo parlour that she had been thinking about going to. It wasn't a scungy kind of place, we made sure that it was actually certified by the department of health so we knew that it would be okay."

"That doesn't sound wild at all." Oliver interrupted looking slightly disappointed in her.

"Hey, I told you I wasn't a wild child!" She defended, taking another drink, "Anyway, while Bex was getting inked I was flipping through one of the photo albums of tattoos and piercings in the waiting area and I saw a photo of an industrial piercing, just with a plain bar. The girl in the picture wasn't all tattooed and pierced like most of them, and she kind of looked a bit like me. I realised that I could have a piercing and still look like me, just edgier, I guess. I showed the picture to Bex and asked what she thought and she turned to the guy who was giving her the tattoo and said 'I'm need the bathroom. While I'm gone give my friend here that industrial piercing.' And voila, I have an industrial piercing." She waved a hand in the direction of her ear and finished her glass of water.

"You could have taken it out and let it close up," Oliver pointed out, "So you must like it." She smiled at him and touched the bar again.

"Yeah, I do. Its a reminder that sometimes impulse is good. Although it was a point of contention when I went for my interview at QC."

"What do you mean?" Oliver asked, genuinely confused.

"Well, I didn't always have this bar, which is a lot more subtle than my other one, by the way. The head of IT and the head of Human Resources who were interviewing me were sceptical of how it would present the company image. I just told them that I wasn't going to remove it but that I would get a subtle bar to minimise impact or distraction or whatever."

"And they let you get away with it?" It was Digg's turn to be confused now.

"They didn't really have much choice." She said smirking, "My IT skills were unmatched by anyone already working there, including the head of department I might add, so they weren't exactly going to, and I quote, 'let a little piercing stop them from hiring such an asset that would otherwise be snatched up by the competition'." Oliver and Digg laughed, both knowing how true that was. She checked her phone and saw that they had been away from the office for an hour and a half already, "Crap, guys we really need to head back. Its 2 already!" Oliver summoned the waitress and she appeared beside him.

"Everything okay sir?"

"Yes, it was excellent. We have to get going in a bit of a hurry sorry, time seemed to escape us for a bit." He explained, smiling pleasantly at her.

"Oh, of course sir, I shall just get your cheque. If you just pay the maitrê-de as you leave."

"Thank you." He said. The trio finished their drinks while they waited and went over Oliver's schedule for the rest of the day while they waited for the cheque which Oliver accepted when the waitress brought it over. They stood and Digg left to get the car going while Oliver waited for Felicity to stand and head out before following, cheque in one hand and the other settling once more at the small of her back. She felt the tingles spread through her again at his touch, but didn't mind it one bit. When they got to the maitrê-de she stopped and waited while Oliver paid. He left a sizeable tip for the waitress which Felicity was pleased with, but just as she turned to leave she overheard Oliver speak again, "Oh, can you please let the waitress who served us know that we were all very impressed with her service and professionalism, something that you could take note of." Without waiting for a response Oliver's hand was at her back and steering her out the door and down to the car. She managed to wait until they were both safely situated in the backseat before cracking up laughing. Digg looked at her very confused through the rear view mirror as he pulled away and Oliver merely smirked out the window.

"That was excellent!" She managed to sputter out between giggles.

"What did I miss?" Digg asked from the front.

"Just Oliver giving that monstrê-de a not so subtle stab at his professionalism."

"Monstrê-de?" Oliver and Digg questioned in unison.

"Well I thought it fitted." She giggled again, but the men both just smiled at her before silence fell once more. When they got back to QC they rushed to the executive elevator and headed upstairs to their offices once more and settled down to their individual tasks.

* * *

The atmosphere was much more comfortable between the three of them in comparison to the tensions from the previous morning and Felicity found herself much more productive. As the clock ticked to 3:50 the elevator dinged and snapped Felicity out of her work trance. Begrudgingly she slipped into her new persona as Executive Assistant and stood to greet none other than Alderman Blood. She managed to hide her surprise and smiled cordially at him.

"Alderman Blood. I assume you are Mr Queen's 4 o'clock." She said pleasantly, coming around her desk to take his coat. He threw the garment at her in a very uppity way and she bit her tongue from making a sarcastic comment.

"What kind of assistant doesn't know her bosses appointment schedules." He sneered slightly, giving her a once over look that made her want to slap him. She mentally counted down from three before replying.

"One who has Mr Queen making his appointments without telling them." She hung the jacket on the back of the chair Digg had previously occupied before turning back to the horrible man, "If you'll wait here for one moment I shall notify Mr Queen of your arrival." She turned on her heel and strode confidently to the door to Oliver's office.

"Yes, because I'm sure he isn't aware of it just by looking through the great wall of glass." She faltered at his sneer when she got to the door but didn't acknowledge him before striding into Oliver's office.

"Your 4 o'clock is here. Although I'm not entirely sure why you would invite him up to your office?" She questioned, her volume dropping towards the end of the sentence. Oliver stood from his desk and buttoned his jacket as he replied.

"Because I need to fix the situation and there are no cameras or people to throw things at me in here." He said, pausing in front of her momentarily. She didn't think he meant for her to notice the way he was favouring his right leg to his injured left. Truth be told with the way he had been walking this afternoon she had totally forgotten that he had been shot the night before.

"You should take a painkiller." She whispered, deliberately looking at his leg. But he brushed passed her without acknowledging her comment, just as she knew he would.

"Alderman!" Oliver called, walking to his office door and Felicity trailed him, _waiting for a dismissal before leaving like a good little Executive Assistant,_ she thought bitterly, "Thank you for coming." Blood pushed through the door, not waiting for Oliver and strode in as if he owned the place, one more thing that got her hackles up.

"Mr Queen." He said shortly, ignoring Oliver's hand that he had extended causing Felicity to grind her teeth. She saw Oliver prickle at the dismissal and twist his head slightly before turning to follow the vile creature as he strode to Oliver's window, "This quite some view. How small the rest of us must all look from up here." It was Felicity's turn to prickle now and she had to physically clench her jaw from spitting out something totally inappropriate.

"Miss Smoak." Oliver said, sensing her tension.

"Yes." She breathed, not trusting herself to speak any louder in case she snapped at the disgusting man at the window.

"Would you get my guest and I some coffee?" She blinked in disbelief at Oliver's request and opened her mouth to reply as he turned so she could see his face. He was grinning slightly, knowing that he had riled her up more and he thought he had her trapped, thinking she wouldn't turn him down in front of a visitor. _Ha!_

"You know I would, Mr Queen, but it seems that someone's broken our coffee maker," she said, feigning an apologetic tone. She saw Oliver's surprise that she had managed to counter him and she couldn't resist giving him a faux-sweet smile as she turned to leave, "Violently." She couldn't resist adding in a whisper as she left. She was still smirking like a cat who caught the canary when she seated herself back at her desk and busied herself with work.

* * *

Later that week Felicity was at the foundry doing some research for their Hood business while Oliver and Digg were attending the benefit Oliver and Blood had put together to show support for the Glades. Thankfully she hadn't had to have any more contact with the nasty creature after she had ranted to Oliver about how horrible she thought he was. One of her searches pinged and she scooted over to the screen and read it quickly.

"Oh crap," she mumbled before pressing her speed dial for Oliver. He picked up on the second ring and she heard the elevator ding and some party noise in the background and she could picture him exiting the elevator. She gritted her teeth knowing she was about to force him to make a difficult choice.

"_Tell me."_

"I've got some good news and some bad news," she said, cutting to the chase, knowing there wasn't much time and that her round about ways were just going to put him in even more of a bad mood, "I hacked into FEMA's server, yet another federal offence, thank you very much, and was able to find out when the next shipment of pharmaceuticals is taking place."

"_When?"_ He asked quietly.

"That's the bad news. 5 minutes ago. I know this is the definition of sucky timing, she said, swiveling away from her screens and talking to the empty training area and giving a shaky exhale, "Which suit are you planning on wearing tonight?" He didn't answer her, just hung up and she closed her eyes tight knowing that he was going to be in a foul mood for the rest of the evening. She was not looking forward to having to talk to him over the comms. She turned back to her screens and continued searching for the truck, finding it quickly and this time calling Diggle.

"We're nearly ready, Felicity," he said, and she could hear that he was out of breathe slightly from running, "Where's the truck?" She fed him the information and heard the click of Oliver joining them. She heard a slight growl from him and she knew that he wasn't as close as he would have liked to have been.

"Don't worry, Oliver, I can distract the police. Just stay safe, okay? Both of you." The two men grunted and hung up, letting them concentrate, before going about working on the police distraction. She knew that they were focused on finding the hood and knowing Laurel she would have an alert set up to let her know when the Hood had been sighted so she accessed some of the security camera footage from the previous year that she had snatched from when Oliver had been on one of his patrols and set about changing the date and time stamp to match today and now before making an anonymous call into the police about a Hood sighting. She sent them the falsified feed while intercepting the actual feed from the area and also where Oliver and Digg were busy fighting the drug stealing mobsters. She quickly hacked into the police scanner radio frequency and listened as a static-y voice spoke.

"_Closing in on the vigilantes position." _The real-time feed from the corner where she had diverted the police showed several cruisers all pulling up, lights flashing and cops swarming into the area before they stopped and looked around confused. She saw one of them coming up to the lieutenant carrying an iPad and she laughed as she saw the falsified feed playing across the screen. The lieutenant looked extremely agitated before angrily tapping at the screen and then pointing at the wreckage of one of the buildings, growling that it had been destroyed in the quake. "_Who the hell could be feeding us year old surveillance?" _She heard the guy with the iPas angrily exclaim and grinned, proud of herself that she had once more fooled the SCPD.

"That would be me, boys." She muttered, and continued with the footage for a moment before allowing the feed to drop and the actual one to appear. Satisfied that they would be kept occupied she turned her attention back to where Oliver and Diggle were busy fighting. She patched back into their comms so that she would be able to hear when either of them activated theirs but kept hers muted so they wouldn't be able to hear the pained sounds she made as she watched them punching and kicking and getting equally hurt. She sat back, biting her nails as they carried on until she saw Digg get into the cab and pull away. Oliver and the white haired women stood stationary in front of the truck until they finished playing chicken and jumped to either side, and Digg plowed on through. She heard the beep of comms activation and Digg speaking.

"_I'm clear."_ He said, but she saw the ninja women jump onto the back and she squeaked.

"No you're not!" She cried. It was futile though, because she was still on mute and didn't want to risk startling them by interrupting their concentration.

"_That makes one of us."_ Oliver growled and she realised with a shock that he had disappeared from the range of security cameras. With a gulp she focused her attention on something she could see in hopes that Oliver would be able to sort himself out. Digg had managed to get onto one of the back roads leading away from the docks and was still ploughing ahead. Suddenly the white haired ninja appeared at his door and she jumped, holding the arms of her chair as she watched them scrabbling for control while Digg was still trying to drive. She watched still as the truck careened to the side and crashed.

"_Diggle!"_ She heard Oliver call over the comms and held her breath, only releasing it when she saw Digg fall from the cab, gun at the ready. When the ninja reappeared and disarmed Digg she felt a thrill of fear run through her, knowing that this women was better at close combat than Digg. It looked like he was about to get seriously injured when suddenly the woman was pulled by a seemingly invisible force into a power pole where she remained, her hands immobilised above her head. Oliver appeared on his motorbike and she heaved a relieved sigh to see them both in one piece. When Oliver approached Digg and the women she felt her body go limp in her seat and she ran a hand over her face.

"_You've changed! You would have killed me by now if you hadn't."_ Felicity froze at hearing the words, knowing they were true, and waited to see how Oliver would react.

"_The police can take the shipment the rest of the way."_ He growled turning away and Felicity was about to switch off the comes when she heard the Asian women speak again.

"_They still won't see you as anything more than the enemy,"_ Oliver stopped in his tracks not moving, "_You'll never be anything more than a criminal to them,"_ this made him turn to face her and Felicity bit her lip as she watched him slowly advance, like a predator approaching its prey, "_Which means you'll never be a hero." _He stopped once more and just observed her, the tension palpable even through the security camera.

"_As long as this city is safe, it doesn't matter."_ With that he turned and mounted his bike, speeding away from the scene. Felicity felt a flash of pride and pain run simultaneously through her veins. The bitch was right and it tore her heart, but the bravado Oliver had shown was one of the qualities Felicity loved most about him. She hung up her comms and went about carrying on searches while she waited for the boys to arrive. Digg got there first. He came down the stairs and seemed to be walking fine. He sat down a little gingerly on the stool by Oliver's arrow sharpening tools.

"How you doing?" She asked going over to him and checking him for bruises.

"I'm okay." He said, tugging off the balaclava and tossing it on the table, stretching some tight muscles. She grabbed an ice pack from the mini freezer they kept in the bottom of the medical cabinet and tossed it to him. He caught it and held it to his neck.

"I watched." She said, sitting back at her computers and checking some search results.

"I know." Was all he said. They sat in companionable silence for a time waiting for Oliver to arrive. She was just starting to get worried when her phone pinged. _New Message. OQ: Will be there soon - O._

"Huh, well Oliver said that he's on his way back." She said to Digg. He sighed in return and stood, putting the ice pack back in the freezer.

"Okay, well I'm going to head to QC. Some of the security guards wanted my input in some new plans that they are looking to implement," he said, and grabbed his suit which was hanging by the bathroom, "Make sure someone walks you out." She smiled at his over protectiveness but nodded.

"Of course. Night, Digg."

"Night Felicity." He said and kissed the top of her head as he passed. She heard the electronic locks open and then close and she was once more alone in the foundry. It had been difficult to start with after the earthquake, but she had steadily gotten her confidence back. Unexpected noises and flickering lights still made her jump when she was alone but other than that she felt comfortable in the lair once more. She worked diligently until she heard the secondary entrance that Oliver had had installed open. Looking up she saw the hooded figure limp in holding his side and immediately jumped to her feet.

"Where have you been? What happened? How badly are you hurt?" She grilled but helped him to the under lit table that they used for first aid. She saw dark patches in the leather of his jacket at his side and his shoulder.

"Wolverine," he gritted out, unzipping the jacket and sliding it off with her help, "They're more superficial than they could have been."

"I'm going to have to get your shirt off to have a look." She managed to say steadily although she couldn't keep the heat from flooding her cheeks. Oliver grunted but just pulled the black t-shirt over his head and hissed when the action stretched the cuts on his side. She bit her lip but managed to remain professional as she cleaned the area and applied steri-strips before covering them with gauze, "I think we need to research better materials for your jacket." She said, taping the edges down.

"The leather gives flexibility," he said, standing and going to the alcove where he had some spare clothes stored. He pulled on another black t-shirt and she turned before he could strip out of the leather pants, "Anything else would be too constricting."

"Yeah, well, at least then you wouldn't come back looking like puppy chow."

"Puppy chow? Really?" He asked, the exasperation clear in his tone.

"Well you said he was Wolverine!" She defended switching off her computers, "Anyway, you done for the night?" She turned back around to face him and leant against her desk waiting for the answer. Oliver thought for a while and then his face dropped when he remembered something.

"I wish, I have some legitimate business to get done. Damage control for messing up the benefit tonight." She bit her lip and felt guilty that she had totally forgotten the benefit he had skipped to fulfil his arrowing duties.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Oliver. Digg's actually left and is at QC," She said and waved her keys, "I've got some stuff to do too so I can give you a lift?"

"Thanks, but I have a feeling I'm going to be very late tonight so I'll take the bike." He said grabbing his own leather jacket and swinging it on, "See you there?"

"Yeah, of course." They walked out together Oliver waited until she was safely in her mini and on the road before jumping on his bike and following. She turned on the radio as she drove and immediately regretted it when the entertainment news came on.

"_And Oliver Queen made a spectacle once again tonight when he failed to show for his own benefit in honour of the 503. The billionaire playboy gave no excuse for his lack of appearance and no one close to him has heard anything. Alderman Blood was quick to persecute Queen." _Felicity's heart dropped as she listened and switched it off before she could hear anymore. She pulled back into her space in the parking garage of QC and saw Oliver pull in next to her. He waited while she got out and they walked up to the building together. Digg saw them coming and opened the door for them.

"What are you two doing here?"

"I need to do some damage control after the benefit fiasco." Oliver explained and Digg gave him a sympathetic look.

"And I'm going to do some more Executive Assistant-y things." Felicity said throwing another mock glare at Oliver to try and lighten the mood. Apparently it worked because he gave her one of his rare smiles that wasn't part of his public personas. This one was totally, 100% post-island Oliver. One that was slightly shaky still, but every time he flashed it it became more genuine. Digg chuckled lightly as they stepped into the elevator and were whisked up to the 24th floor. When they got out Oliver and Felicity made their way to their respective desks and set about doing their work for the night. Digg had a nosy around looking for weak points in the security after the break in from the copy cats but disappeared back down to the security desk shortly. Felicity pulled up a list of all the guests and benefactors from the event earlier that evening and set about providing Oliver with an alibi. According to his phone records Oliver got a 4 hour long call from the Australian headquarters that required his immediate attention. She went to stand and fill Oliver in on his alibi but stopped when she saw his face. He looked similar to how he had earlier that day when she had been talking to Digg, the same troubled expression on his face, but this time there was a hint of pain and anger. It was times like these that really challenged Felicity's resolve. All she wanted to do was go in there, turn off whatever was on the screen and causing him pain and take him away from it all. If there was one thing she hated in life it was to see the people she cared about hurting. Over the years that list had gotten significantly shorter and now really only included about 5 names; Oliver, Digg, Thea, Carley and Bex. Thea had sort of snuck up on her, much like Oliver had really. Whilst he had been MIA for the last 5 months, Tommy dead and her mother in prison Thea didn't really have anyone besides her and Digg to turn to. Felicity had been coming to continue renovations to the foundry and decided to go through the loading dock when she had come upon Thea crying. Unsure of what to do really she had taken a seat beside the younger women and asked what was wrong. Thea had been taken aback by this stranger's kindness but opened up to her about everything; her grief over losing Tommy, her anger towards her mother and Malcolm Merlyn, her fear that she was going to lose Oliver again, confusion over her fledgling relationship with Roy, pain over what felt like Walter abandoning her. Although she hardly knew the girl Felicity's heart had broken and in a very un-Felicity like act she had wrapped her arms around the girl and let her cry into her brand new shirt. After Thea had calmed down she had pulled back from Felicity embarrassed, but Felicity had been quick to make sure that she knew there were no judgments on her part. Thea had invited her up to the club for a drink which Felicity had gladly accepted and despite their differences the two had gotten along like a house on fire, sharing a fine bottle of red wine and talking and giggling. That was how Digg had found them 2 hours later and he just said that he was glad to see Thea had cheered up some since the last time he had seen her.

Felicity was snapped back to the present with the elevator opening and Digg once more appearing. He nodded to her on his way to Oliver's office and she watched as he entered. Oliver looked up, still with the pained expression, and they spoke for a moment before he motioned for Digg to come and watch something on his computer. His shoulder set indicated that despite what his expression was saying he was determined. About what she didn't know. Realising that he was going to be in for an extra long night even though she was nearly done with her work Felicity crossed to the elevator and went down a few floors to the executive offices staff room where she went about fixing Oliver an extra strong coffee. She added a little milk and took it back upstairs before she could second guess herself. Digg was waiting for the lift when she got back and he glanced at the mug in her hands before raising an eyebrow at her. She shrugged but didn't say anything and quietly made her way to Oliver's office. She had long since kicked off her heels so her footsteps were almost silent on the cold marble floor. He didn't acknowledge her presence, instead his focus remained on the screen in front of him. She could hear that slimy Blood's voice on the news broadcast and she felt her heart clench again.

"_He is no different to the rest of the Starling City elite who have failed to show up to end the suffering left devastated in wreckage of the Glades. Oliver Queen is not a friend of the people of this city." _At that he tightened his jaw and allowed the pain he was feeling to show, unguarded on his face. She reached the desk and bent, putting the coffee cup down gently. When he looked up at her he didn't even try to make a comment.

"One." She whispered before turning on her heels and leaving him there. The whole way back to her desk she felt his eyes following her and she chanced a glance back as she turned the corner. He still stared, but this time his face held a little less pain. She smiled back at him softly just as the elevator dinged and she turned away, glad that she had been able to do something to help. She knew that telling him that was the only cup of coffee she would be getting him had been a lie, because she knew now that if he ever looked so lost like that again then a cup of coffee would temporarily wipe the pain away and she would do anything in her power to help the man she loved.

* * *

**Authors Note;**

All Italian dishes pulled from the Piero's Italian Cuisine menu ( menu/)

According to that these are the dishes mentioned at lunch:

_Fettuccine a modo mio _- egg noodles with broccoli, porcini mushrooms, pancetta, cream and a touch of tomato

_Fettuccine alla Puttanesca _- fettuccine with anchovies, olives, capers and oregano in a tomato sauce

_Fettuccine alfredo all'augusteo _- fettuccine tossed in thick cream and parmesan cheese

_Insalata caprese _- roma tomatoes, fresh buffalo mozzarella, basil, pine nuts, olive oil and vinegar


End file.
